The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-09-14
For THE CLARIoN.1
Hang Up the Slanderers
BY DIR ]. W. HARMON.

Did you ever pronounce the word
slander with a rotund intonation of the
voice and discover how pungent, keen
and piercing it falls upon the ear?
Did you ever pause with bated breath
to listen to the whiz and whirl of this
poisoned arrow as it sped its way to the
wounding and damage of human repu
tation?
Did you ever sympathize with the
pierced victims, and with tender hand
and heart help to extract the barbed
arrow from wounded spirit, pouring
into the lacerated heart soothing words,
fitly spoken.
Does it not battle human philosophy,
and make the face of virtue turn pale
to think that against the malignant
words of the slanderer no purity is a
defense, no innocence a security, and no
deeds of goodness a safeguard; virtue
baptised in tears of agony and conse-
Grated in prayer, is erucified by the
casting of the dice, and the profane
gamblers lift their heads into the sun
light and are titled gentlemen and high
toned ladies.
Can human thought fathom the cruel
indifference or deep malice that lets fly
the cruel shaft of slander? Mirabte dictu,
just as soon as it takes wings, and the
whispered voice of slander Is heard, a
thousand willy tongues, swift as the
weaver's shuttle, speeds the arrow with
a surer aim to the heart of its victim.
Who can understand why the very
best of us, with such readiness, receive
and give credit to calumny 9-why there
is such consuming desire to repeat it,
and thus overwhelm those who never
injured us, with all the misery of a de-
famed character?
The common form of slander is that
of detraction, and where is the society
free from such slanderers, who trans
form themselves into angels of light,
though smirched and black at heart?
They sometimes come forth with q sane
titled gentility of spiced morality, as
fresh as night-blooming cereus; and
sometimes robed in celestial purity of
professions, they whisper their speech
with the pledged seal of eternal silence
upon the lips of the hearers.
These sweet, silvery-tongued spirits,
with evident regret, have sent forth the
secret shaft, keen, polished and doubly
barbed; and this viperous piece of
villiany, oiled all over with the most
tender confessions of friendship, has
gone forth to do its hellish work amid
the delicate trellis-work of human sensi
bilities, and the sancity of human lives
and homes.
And what makes it burn and blister
the more, is the fact, that let it be true
or false, something supplied or other
things concealed, so that the one way
will make it criminal, or the other inno-
cent; yet all Ibis while the victim is cut
off from all chance of explanation, until
q mighty crevasse has broken down his
character.
the blistering fires which such moral
incendiaries kindle in society is almost
incredible, because, for the most part,
inevitable. The unjust sentence of a
judge may condemn an innocent man.
but secret slander condemns innocence
itself. Do but paint pure angel black,
and then point the finger of scorn, and
cry, To- hereI and that will make him
pass current for devil
Reputation, integrity of character, IL |
all that some men possess in the world |
it is their capital, their fortune; and
their success depends upon it; you might |
as well rob the bank, and be held guilt |
less, as to rob these persons of their rep
utation; and 70 slander them is the |
greatest crime you can do them; be-
cause, in some cases, it would be the |
lesser evil to murder their bodies.
There is one form of siander common |
to the best of rs, which We commit with |
out = thought as to the consequences |
Floating ON the great current of gossip |
and table-talk in every community, We |
hear OF fafherless speeches and mother |
less remarks, more or less derogatory to |
character indexing the character of |